Resin and wax coated cardboard and paperboard cartons have been used for many years for the packaging, distribution and merchandising of beverages such as milk and fruit juices. The expressions "container" and "carton" characterized by a "gabled top with a central laminar rib across the top" and further characterized as being formed of for example "paper", "cardboard", "paperboard" and coated with "coat wax", "plastic" or "resin" is intended to refer to the containers of the type described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,750,095 (Reissue No. Re. 25021), 3,120,333, 3,120,335.
The gabeled top cartons described therein are formed of polymer coated paperboard, for example, polyethylyne paperboard. Typical containers are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,333 to Arthur J. Seiple for Container With Infolded Bottom Closure, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,110 to Alex K. Goldman for Reclosable Container. The individual cartons are formed from blanks of stiff, foldable, and resilient material such as paperboard coated on both sides with heat sealable thermal plastic material, for example, polyethylene. The coated blank is cut and squared to form a rectangular carton with a flat bottom and gabled top as shown, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,335 issued Feb. 4, 1964 to Harry B. Egleston, et al for Container With Infolded Bottom Enclosure. The blank is divided to three main portions including a top portion, a central portion, and a bottom portion. The central portion of the blank is comprised of a plurality of body panels between transverse fold lines which become the body of the carton when erected. The central portion includes a first side panel, a front panel, second side panel, and rear panel and first sealing flap. The bottom portion of the blank is comprised of bottom closure panels and a second sealing flap foldably connected to and integral with the lower ends of the panels and the flap along the fold line. The bottom panel is flanked by fold back flaps foldably connected along diagonal fold lines. Likewise, the bottom panel has fold-back flaps foldably connected to it along diagonal fold lines.
Details of the manufacture and assembly of gabled top cartons are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,940 issued Sept. 6, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,333 issued Feb. 4, 1964, U.S. Pat. No. 3,120,335 issued Feb. 4, 1964, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,018 issued Feb. 4, 1986, all of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
A conventional one quart milk container has a height of about 71/2 inches, a base of 23/4 inch square, and the gable extends about one inch beyond the top of rectangular side. The central rib of the gable top extends an additional one-half inch upward.
While these containers are referred to as "wax", "cardboard", "paperboard" and the like, these packing containers, i.e., cartons of the nonreturnable type for the packing of milk, juices, and the like, are generally manufactured from flexible laminated material which comprises a carrier layer of paper coated on both sides with thin layers of a liquid type heat sealable plastic material, for example, polyethelyne. Petroleum waxes have been used as a protective coating for various types of beverage containers and cartons for a long time. The coating serves a purpose of protecting the container where the paper from direct contact with the food or dairy product, food, beverage, or dairy product contained therein. This is particularly necessary with milk cartons where it is necessary to preserve the rigidity of the container and retain its usefulness and sales appeal. Improvements have been made by incorporating certain additives into the petroleum wax to improve flexibility, toughness, and peel resistance. Among some of the additives have been proposed and utilized are polyethylene, and copolymers of ethylene with vinyl acid, and copolymers of ethylene with polyacetate. Still others have been with a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. Still other container coatings are compositions of paraffin wax, ethylene-vinyl acid copolymers, and Fisher-Tropsch reaction products.
Typical beverage cartons or containers of the prior art are shown in FIGS. 9, 10, and 11. These cartons, which are referred to herein as "beverage cartons" are customarily rectilinear in form, for example, with a square base 1 and a rectangular parallelepiped body portion 5 with a gabled top portion 7. The gabled top portion 7 is characterized by a central laminar rib 9. The gable top portion 7 has inwardly coverging side walls 10a and 10b, and end walls 14a and 14b. Each end wall has a trinangular portion 114a, folded portions 114b and 114c, and a leading edge 15. The leading edge 15 is the upward extension of the folded portions 114b and 114c, with a vertical fold line ll5v defining the point or apex of the outlet spout or dispenser 17, and a pair of horizontal fold lines separating the leading edge end wall portions 14a and 14b.
These cartons 1 are typically opened by pulling apart sides 11 and 13 of the gabled top portion 7 and pulling forward a leading edge 15, e.g., a foreshortened leading edge 15, to form a pouring spout or dispensing spout therein 17. The dispensing spout 17 is closed by pressing the leading edge 15 and side portions 114b, 114c thereof back against the spread sides 11 and 13 and pushing the spread sides 11 and 13 together, back to the closed position.
One problem common to the beverage carton 1 of the prior art is the absolute necessity of initially providing an air, liquid, and microbe tight seal between the sides 11 and 13 and the leading edge 15, i.e., between the sides 11, 13, and the upward extension of the folded portions 114b, 114c, of the end wall. This is especially necessary in the case of foodstuffs in order to maintain the cleanliness and purity of the contents of the carton 1. However, the air and liquid tight seal between the spout sides 11 and 13 and the spout leading edge 15, while solving one problem, gives rise to another serious problem for the consumer.
This is because the spout sides 11 and 13 and the spout leading edge 15 extensions of the end wall 14, which together comprise the dispensing spout or outlet 17, must be sealed together in order to avoid leakage, weeping, or contamination The adhesive forming the seal between the spout sides 11, 15, and the leading edge 15 has a yield strength approaching that of the coated paper or cardboard. Opening a beverage container is a complex ergonomic exercise, requiring simultaneous spreading of the side walls, 11, 13, tearing the leading edge 15 from the spread side walls 11, 13, and deforming the leading edge 15 to form the spout 17. As a result, the leading edge 15 and spout 17 may be easily torn or damaged on openingby the consumer. This results in a spout that pours erratically and that may not even be capable of being reclosed. In fact, for young children and the elderly, two classes of consumers lacking manual dexterity, it almost impossible to properly open typical beverage cartons of the prior art without doing damage to one or more of the sidewalls 11 and 13 or the leading edge 15 of the dispensing spout 17. Once the dispensing spout 17, and generally the leading edge 15 thereof, is torn, the liquid contents such as either milk or juice, can be spilled all over the table from the damaged parts of the spout 17. U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,464 to W. A. Pugh for Lift And Pull Ring Container discloses one possible solution to the problem, the provision of a pull ring on the triangular portion 114a of the end wall 14. U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,328 to Willis R. Barrett for Pull Tab For Gable Top Container describes a tape-like pull tab overlying the lip 15, and the lower portions, i.e., the triangular portion 114a, and the folded portions 114b and 114c of the end wall 14. However, neither of these proposed solutions have attained commercial acceptance. Therefore, a need still exists to allow the very young, the elderly, and those otherwise lacking manual dexterity to readily open paper beverage cartons.